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Thread: Ctrl+alt+del

  1. #1
    OilSheikh
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    Ctrl+alt+del

    Microsoft’s founder has officially admitted that the puzzling Control-Alt-Delete key combination used to access the login screen was a mistake. In his speech at Harvard University, Bill Gates revealed that it was a mistake. This process was supposed to be performed with a single button.

    billgatestwo.jpg


    Gates pointed out that this wasn’t entirely Microsoft’s fault. The matter was that the designer of the IBM keyboard refused to provide the software giant with a single button.

    Control-Alt-Delete was from the very beginning designed as a combination used to reboot a computer, and in the early versions of the operating system it was a log-in screen. The IBM computer that Bill Gates helped develop was introduced three decades ago and he was at the mercy of suits at Big Blue.

    This finally explains why the company used the somewhat difficult keyboard combination. In addition, this version of the story fleshes out what David Bradley, the engineer who invented the Control-Alt-Delete sequence said many years ago. Bradley claimed at the time that he came up with Control-Alt-Delete, but it was Gates who made it famous. The engineer had no idea why Bill used Control-Alt-Delete for the login screen, but now this hole in the story is finally cleared up.

    At the moment, Windows XP and Windows 7 still use this combination, while Windows 8 uses it as a shortcut for locking the computer or accessing the task manager.

    Taken , from ExtraTorrent

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  3. #2
    HEXUS.timelord. Zak33's Avatar
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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    and today I learned something

    ty Sheikh

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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    I read this a while back, what was interesting was although Gates called it a mistake, it actually makes sense, as its not a combination you can easily press by mistake (annoyingly the accessibility keyboard at login will not allow this combination). It has also gathered a rather cult like support in its usership (really hoping usership is a word, if its not i just invented it, take that Twerking!)
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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    Wasnt' there something about system interrupts as well? i.e. unless you get the kernel properly borked only windows can respond to ctrl-alt-del?

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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    My understanding was that it was to prevent viruses that mimicked the windows login screen from being able to steal your details -- thus the action of doing ctrl+alt+delete would steal focus from the virus' fake screen and you'd know something was amiss.

    But whilst my understanding is based on logic, it doesn't seem like it's based on fact

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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    What is the deal with ctrl+alt+del somehow magically unfreezing Windows most of the time? Or at least letting you stop the process that's causing the freezing of everything else on the system.

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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    Quote Originally Posted by WFMS View Post
    What is the deal with ctrl+alt+del somehow magically unfreezing Windows most of the time? Or at least letting you stop the process that's causing the freezing of everything else on the system.
    Ctrl-shift-esc is better for that.

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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    probably something to do with the IRQ value of the keyboard input over the process currently taking place


    but maybe not.
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    Quote Originally Posted by this_is_gav View Post
    How do you change the height of them?

    I've just had a quick fiddle with the knob at the front :\

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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    o, if I update my os to windows 8 I have to change my habit... I aways use this combination to restart my computer when there is something wrong.

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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    I think there is a fair bit of re-writing the past here.

    alt-ctrl-del is a reboot sequence, it only became anything to do with logging in with NT so Windows was quite old by then.
    The thing about it causing an interrupt is marketing tripe from the era when Microsoft were at their height of talking rubbish. It is just a keypress sequence that is hard to do by accident. It can be intercepted and simulated like any other keypress sequence, as shown by things like VNC and VMware messing with it.

    Even these days there are times when Windows dies so hard that only the power or reset button will do, there really isn't any magic here.

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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    It seem to remember that it was also due to the fact that the sequence couldn't be fired off via software (can't remember the reasons behind it), hence the old "press control-alt-delete to login".
    Being an action that physically had to be done by the user, it rather crudely secured the system from remote hijacking.

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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    Incidentally i noticed recently that those old keyboards ibm model m for example are now collectors items and are selling online for £80+ Wish I had thought harder last time I had a clear out and junked two of them a year or so back...

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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    Not only as collectors items, many people still use them as they're absolutely beautiful to type on.

  18. #15
    OilSheikh
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    Re: Ctrl+alt+del

    Still have a sealed copy of Windows 95.

    Anyday now .... I am gonna be a millionaire !

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